Thoughts on football, books, and life in general

Not so merry go round for managers

December can be a miserable month for football managers. Malky Mackay was the 10th one to be sacked this month1 and more could go before 2014 arrives.

It will be interesting to see who takes the job at Cardiff City. A Guardian report2 says that Tan would like to get Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but there are doubts about whether he’d want the job; “Sir Alex Ferguson, whom he played under at Manchester United, advised him on going into management that it was important to choose an owner rather than a club.”

If the rumours about Tan interfering in team selection3 are true, then he is not the sort of owner that managers would choose. Lee Clark receives a lot of advice on tactics and team selection from Birmingham City fans but he can safely ignore that. His job would be much harder if he had an owner telling him what to do on the field. The BCFC financial situation is dire but there are a few consolations. Our manager and the staff who oversee the day to day running of our club can get on with their work without undue interference and I think they are doing a good job.

Clark is not the best manager in the world, neither is he the worst. He has created a team mainly of kids and freebies. They are inconsistent but so are most players apart from the elite few that cost millions. I’m afraid that fans who watch the top teams on TV may find it hard watch games at St Andrews; the contrast between the top players and ours is too great. I prefer live games to sitting on a sofa. Birmingham City doesn’t have the best team or the best manager but it is my team and when they’re playing at St Andrews I want to be there.

The LMA (League Managers Association) website includes several useful lists including one of this seasons movers.